RADIO
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday for the Andy's Frozen Custard 300. Last year, the Xfinity Series was here in September, with John Hunter Nemechek driving to victory lane in a race that saw the top eight finishers be playoff drivers.
Last weekend at Martinsville, Aric Almirola drove the No. 20 car to victory lane in dominant fashion, leading 148 of the 251 laps. Almirola's win won't matter for playoff qualification though as he's a part-timer in the series. Chandler Smith currently holds the overall points lead by 35 points over Cole Custer.
Here at RotoBaller, we want to help you make informed decisions about your DFS lineups, which is why I'll be breaking down the slates for the Xfinity Series. Let's look at some NASCAR Xfinity DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Andy's Frozen Custard 300 on DraftKings. Be sure to also check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Xfinity Series, including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station. This slate locks on 4/13/24 at 1:30 p.m. EDT.
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Xfinity DFS Preview - DraftKings
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Texas Race Trends
If you read my Truck Series preview yesterday, you would have seen me talk mostly about the importance of clean air. That was mostly proven true, with Kyle Busch leading 112 laps after starting from the second row and the two front-row drivers each leading double-digit laps.
In Xfinity, clean air still matters a lot, but there's a little more wiggle room. Busch's win extends the streak of victories by drivers starting on the first three rows to five races. But in Xfinity, we've seen a driver start 10th or worse and win in four of the last six Texas races. Starting up front can still help you lead a lot of laps, like how polesitter Justin Allgaier led 133 of them last year. But it's not the end-all, be-all. A good car can make its way forward at this track, so finding cars with potential race-winning speed in the 10-20 starting range is a smart move.
Drivers Who Could Dominate
Justin Allgaier ($11,000) has never won here, but he's gotten closer lately. Over his last seven races here, Allgaier has five top-five finishes and has led at least 20 laps five times, including leading 133 of them last fall before finishing fifth. Allgaier starts sixth.
Justin Allgaier has earned his 265th career top 10 finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
He is now just one top 10 finish away from tying Kyle Busch for the most in Xfinity Series history. pic.twitter.com/3edXZy9VNO
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) April 7, 2024
Chandler Smith ($11,200) has been the best car in the Xfinity Series so far this season. He starts fourth for this race and should be a contender, especially with how good Joe Gibbs Racing has been on intermediate tracks lately. He was also tracking for the pole until he got a little loose in qualifying.
Cole Custer ($10,800) starts on the outside pole. He's won here once before and has six top 10s in seven Xfinity Series starts at the track. The only time he finished outside the top 10 came in 2018, when he crashed out. Custer was second at Vegas, the other 1.5-mile intermediate track that the series has run this season.
Sheldon Creed ($10,000) starts back in 15th, which makes him one of the best place differential options among the top drivers. Joe Gibbs Racing cars have won four of the past six races here in the series, including John Hunter Nemechek winning while starting 11th last year.
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Top Mid-Tier Plays
Jesse Love ($8,500) is on the pole. Being on the pole here offers a lot of upside, because it can be hard to make a pass for the lead during a green flag run. In addition to Allgaier leading 133 laps here last race, the past four races here have featured a driver starting on the front row leading 30 or more laps.
Jesse Love holds on, and he will start from the pole for the third time in his Rookie season in #NASCAR Xfinity Series competition. Chandler Smith clocks in P4.
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) April 12, 2024
Parker Kligerman ($8,200) has some solid place differential upside as he starts from the 16th position. He finished second here last year, plus had a solid 11th-place run at Vegas earlier this season.
Shane Van Gisbergen ($7,200) has had a rocky start to his full-time NASCAR career with just two top 10s in seven Xfinity Series starts. Still, hard to ignore the place differential upside here as SVG starts way back in 33rd. His average finish this season is 15.9.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Deep Sleepers
Leland Honeyman ($4,600) is the second-cheapest driver in this field even though he averages a solid 26.1 DraftKings points per race. He starts 31st on Saturday and has five top 20s this year, including an 18th at Vegas. Love this play.
Leland Honeyman Texas Race Day Graphic | @youngsmtrsports @Lelandhoneymnjr pic.twitter.com/0frCmofoCh
— Rolando✭⭕ (@RTR_Graphics97) April 13, 2024
Ryan Ellis ($4,900) has shown decent speed in this Alpha Prime Racing machine. His average finish is 23.6 this season, while his average start is just 30.3. He starts 36th on Saturday and should be a candidate to finish with 10-plus place differential points if he keeps the car clean.
Hailee Deegan ($5,700) starts 20th, which might be a little too high, but I think that could work in our favor. Deegan has run two races on these intermediate tracks in the Xfinity Series and has finishes of 13th and 15th. This kind of track suits her driving.
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